Clunky

Happy Birthday , what an incredible career. I was lucky enough to see him live just once with the great Don Friedman on piano.

Revolutionary Ensemble-------Inner City followed by Cover features bad jumpers, bad shirts and beards. Music confounds resultant expectations as its neither dated nor got yesterday's soup in it. I don't usually find Ray Anderson all that an individual stylist but he fits well here. I would prefer a bit more attack but this works well enough.

I like that one, too, but I've got the Artists House reissue, and never noticed any issues with the "presence" of the horns. Either it was remixed or I just never noticed. As I recall it has been remixed ( possibly more than once). The horns on the RT issue provide background sounds only

James "Blood" Ulmer---------Are you glad to be in America?---------(Rough Trade) Prime Time like. Olu Dara, David Murray and the sublime Oliver Lake are playing but so far back in the mix you'd never know it was them. This has some interesting moments. Not sure if this is punk/funk or what. Deserves repeated listens.

thanks Chewy, for unearthing this

I have this one. Not bad as I recall but some dated synth sounds. I'll see if I can find it tonight Edit : found it surprisingly quickly. There's a light funk feel to much of what's here on side 1. No annoying synth but "Human Syndrone" (sic) has a few troubling vocal overdubs I do without. Ronnie Scott has a nice solo on that track. Jeff Green is pretty unobtrusive on guitar but does solo briefly on "Hash". Kenny Wheeler's "Branetu" on side 2 is typical for him. A vert elegant piece but with only Charles Austin soloing on soprano. Wheeler solos along with Dean on Elton's fine "Kingfisher blue". The other track on side 2 is an oddly detached take on Coleman's "The Sphinx"- not entirely successful. It's all very well recorded but a deservedly obscure session

Rita Reys-----Jazz Pictures at an exhibition-------(Philips) Rita's voice is perhaps a touch saccharine with occasional troubling vibrato but her timing is good and this is a nice band , well recorded. It sounds quite dated. Don't think i'd make space for many Reys in my collection but this one is just fine.

Congrats , enjoy the functional foam posts the music's pretty good too.

Yeah, I've never felt compelled to get the box, since I seldom spin my one-CD version. I might play it today, though, now that I'm thinking about it. Prompted by this thread I pulled out the TOTS box for the first time in several years. I've been on several BE kicks over the years and ended up with a fair number of his discs ( mainly bought cheap ) . Whilst I respect everything I hear on this set nothing really gets my either going or feeling "isn't that beautiful". Undoubtably some very good tracks mixed in with average ones. I feel equally as diffident about late Art Pepper. I'd rather listen to Martial Solal than late BE and that's what I inevitably do. If I'm honest with myself I bought way more BE than I have patience to listen to. It's just not that engaging ( for me). His Riverside albums are another matter ....

Certainly was my entry point to a jazz for me. I've not tuned in much since my early days in jazz. Peter Clayton has a lot to answer for....

I love this part of the Duke Select at this time of year.

Ollie Brice------ Immune to clockwork --------(Multilulti Project) Fine recommendation from Mark. There's certainly a melancholic air to this but without the sedating effects you experience with ECM. I'm new to most of the players here . Zimpel and Bonney sound very attractive. Brice's bass is solid too. Early days but I can see this getting plenty of play. Thanks to mjazzg

Formative sounds for me from an early age Yellow Submarine --- The Beatles Wheels Cha-Cha-------Joe Loss Laughing Gnome-------David Bowie In my early teens This year's model----- Elvis Costello Big hits ( and high tide)------Rolling Stone Rubber Soul/ Revolver Too much pressure -----Special AKA Maple Leaf Rag-----Scott Joplin Parallel Lines-----Blondie Much later Disraeli Gears----- The Cream Rock Bottom-----Robert Wyatt Midsummers night dream---- Abado/ Branagh (Sony) Real Folk blues ----John Lee Hooker

Emil following a rather different path from brother Albert in 1966. L+R Records reissue from 1979.

Thanks everyone for the input on my question! I think the going OOP issue regarding the Horace Tapscott release is a good one, so I think the additions to my shure shots will be the Horarce Tapscott and I think I will also order Waclaw Zimpel's Stone Fog as well. Just about everything that guy releases is essential in my book! Confession here. I've not come across Zimpel at all. I guess Stone Fog is a reasonable place to start ?

Great set , so glad I got it just at it went OOP

Having perused McLean's discography in the other threads the next question must be regarding compositions. What's your favourite? For me it's .... Little Melonae Never tire of hearing different versions. I really like the one on "Presenting ... "(Ad Lib)

Wilbur Morris---------Wilbur Force--------(DIW) 1983 session with David Murray and Dennis Charles. Excellent music , surprisingly poor pressing

seconded

Ordering next week!! My copy just arrived . Same questionable design I regret to say as the earlier edition .All four discs detached from their foam posts . None damage as far as I can see. Disc 1 sounding excellent The packaging, if it hasn't been pointed out, is actually a little different and much worse than before. My first set arrived with all the discs secured in place on rubber posts. My second set arrived with the discs scattered about mixed with bits of foam that replaced the previously mentioned rubber. Two of the discs are scratched but look playable. Got them in the player now. I've lightly glued transparent CD envelopes centred over where the foam posts were. Works very well and is better than the discs being loose inside the large outer cover . Curiously the single CD issues I have from Nottwo are rather well packaged. Despite even potentially worse packaging on the 4 CD box than the first 5 CD box (didn't think that was possible - but do see the comments above), I'll be ordering this set shortly. The method used to secure the CDs - i.e. black foam posts is identical. Those on my copy of the first set (Mad Dogs) are fully intact and all the CDs remain in place. On the second set ( Mad Dogs on the loose) as indicated above, all four were completely deformed on arrival and unable to hold the discs in place in any way. None the less, the music is very fine and has a similar audio quality to the earlier set.

John Stevens ------Freebop------(Affinity) Fine 1982 release with Gordon Beck, Jeff Clyne, Jon Cornett, Pete King & Paul Rutherford.

2 albums is an almost impossible ask but I'd go for Let Freedom Ring Destination Out

Ordering next week!! My copy just arrived . Same questionable design I regret to say as the earlier edition .All four discs detached from their foam posts . None damage as far as I can see. Disc 1 sounding excellent The packaging, if it hasn't been pointed out, is actually a little different and much worse than before. My first set arrived with all the discs secured in place on rubber posts. My second set arrived with the discs scattered about mixed with bits of foam that replaced the previously mentioned rubber. Two of the discs are scratched but look playable. Got them in the player now. I've lightly glued transparent CD envelopes centred over where the foam posts were. Works very well and is better than the discs being loose inside the large outer cover . Curiously the single CD issues I have from Nottwo are rather well packaged.

Happy Birthday to Ted Brown, one of my favourite jazz musicians.

Ordering next week!! My copy just arrived . Same questionable design I regret to say as the earlier edition .All four discs detached from their foam posts . None damage as far as I can see. Disc 1 sounding excellent